Another Side, Another Friend
by FierySprites
Summary: In the realm where hearts return, a nameless star waits with a purpose. That is, until Sora and his Heart Squad come crashing through. [Heart Squad AU, KHIII/Union X[cross] Spoilers, Written Pre-Re:MIND]
1. A Scattered Dream

**Another Side, Another Friend  
**

**_Chapter 1_**_  
A Scattered Dream_

(Uploaded on February 22, 2019)

* * *

**Summary:** _A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory… A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream…_

_I want to line the pieces up—yours and mine._

* * *

**Notes:** This fic is set during the opening Dive to the Heart of _Kingdom Hearts III,_ in a universe where Sora's Heart Squad™ are all awake and something akin to active. And also, Vanitas. Because why not.

There will be both headcanons and **massive spoilers** for both _Kingdom Hearts III_ and _Kingdom Hearts Union X[cross],_ so it is recommended you be up-to-date on your _Kingdom Hearts_ lore before reading this. This was written before the release of _Re:MIND._

* * *

**The Final World**

Water rippled through a dreamlike ocean, clouds flying past in the halfway clear and bright sky. The sweet and serene sound of the wind blowing through the air was all that there was to hear. Here, in this realm, hearts and souls alike wandered about the eternal sea, still clinging on to something or another, trying to find their way when all that they've known has drawn to a close.

One heart – a nameless star, in particular – floated through the ocean, aimlessly moving about as she awaited a… 'friend' to one day come for her. _It's quiet today,_ she mused, phantom eyes looking left and right. _Normally, there are plenty of other stars here, willing to share their stories… but I guess they've all gone to sleep. That's okay, I guess._

…_I could've used the company._

A sense of loneliness once more drifted through her. How long had it been since she first entered this world? How long had she stayed aimlessly, upkeeping a hope that seemed to grow dimmer and dimmer with each passing day?

She knew that the one she pined for had gone through a… turbulent series of events, based on the fragile connection she still had with that someone. It hurt—_oh,_ it hurt—to feel that connection grow more and more distant, _his_ heart replaced with another's, his past more than likely lost to the sands of time, never to return—but he was all she had. So she had to hold on to that. She had to.

What more could she do?

She wasn't a person anymore. She could barely be considered alive. All she was, and ever will be now, was a nameless, disembodied heart – because there was no one left in the universe who still remembered her existence.

(She had been a ghost even back then.)

_And nobody here is from my home, either,_ she bitterly recalled._ They're all from long after my time. I'm the only one who's suffered a fate as cruel as—_

_(A blade from the shadows; a sinister glint in their eyes; __**hugging on to their friend as they **_**died—)**

…_as that._

…_why?_

_Why do I have to be the one here, instead of anyone else?_

_Why do I have to be the one to suffer? Was it because I was in the way? Was it because I was a __leader__, ripe for the taking? Was it because—they just wanted to? __**Couldn't they have chosen **_**anyone**_** else?**_

She knew it was a cruel thought—another worthless, meandering branch to add atop an already large, festering pile—but she was just so _tired._ Tired of being here, tired of being forgotten, tired of… tired of _everything;_ the mess that had become her very _existence._

_I want… I want somebody to see me. To __**really**__ see me. To talk to me; to be happy with me… to offer their hand to me._ The other stars floating around didn't really count; they were just as nameless as her, as aimless and directionless – and a little too focused on themselves, too. (A lot like her, ironically.) They couldn't really understand her plight, her purpose.

No, no—there was only one thing which she desired for, after all this time: a friend. A real friend, someone with purpose, to make their way here and give her a little more hope in her heart. A sky to penetrate her darkened light. _…is that too much to ask for?_

_Is this world… really so cruel as to deny me that, too?_

_Just one glimmer to hang on to?_

A silence flowed through the area she was in, not a single sound—from the sky, from the ocean, from _anywhere—_distracting her from the turmoil that made up her thoughts. Alone, she sat and she sat, as she had done for years beforehand. _Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. …of course. I can't ever get a reprieve, can I—_

_**BOOM!**_

If the star had eyes, she would've blinked. _…what—what was that?_

_**BOOM!**_

Somehow, despite the fact she was airborne, she could feel the shockwaves emanating from the ocean floor. "It's coming from somewhere," she muttered, "but where?"

_**BOOM!**_

She followed the quakes as they continued to go off, 'feeling' the ripples through the water to her destination. _Somebody's here,_ she realized. _Somebody's actually here, and they have a tangible, physical effect on this place. They're __**real.**_

…_I have to get to them._

_I have to get to them now, before they disappear._

_I can't lose this chance to have actual companionship!_

For the first time in forever, there was something she was looking forward to. Something that could only have a positive impact on her life. She couldn't hesitate now—she had to move quickly, before all was lost!

* * *

"_Back off!"_ With as much strength as he could reasonably put into things, Sora swung his Keyblade into the face of the Darkside. It wasn't too affected by this, being a huge Heartless with a fair amount of endurance, but it was doing _something,_ at least. "Man, is it just me," he asked himself out loud, "or are these things getting bigger and bigger every time I see one?"

"How should I know!?" Roxas shouted from the surface of the ocean, Oathkeeper and Oblivion swinging into the swarm of Shadows the Darkside had summoned. "None of us have seen them since you woke up in Twilight Town! I expected a Twilight Thorn, if anything!"

Xion, not too far away from Roxas, was dealing with her own set of Shadows with her Kingdom Key. "What the heck is a Twilight Thorn?" she asked, bluntly bashing a Shadow's antennae into its head. "I've never heard of anything like that! It's not a fancy flavor of ice cream, is it? Is _this guy_ sea-salt?"

"Is ice cream the only thing you two ever think about?" Vanitas snarked, warping all about the Darkside and slashing Void Gear into every crevice he could see. Which was a lot, actually. "What are you gonna do, drown in it? You gonna lick this thing and try to taste it!? Lemme tell you—all you'll taste is darkness!"

"Jeez, Vanitas, you don't need to be so harsh!" Ventus's carefree voice rang through the air, Wayward Wind spinning out and striking the Darkside's arm through a Strike Raid. "It's not like there's a lot to do in Sora's heart—no offense, Sora—" ("None taken!")—"and—c'mon, they're just children!"

"We're _all_ just children," Vanitas retorted, performing a downward stab down the Darkside's back. "Sora's sixteen, and technically so am I; you haven't aged since you slept; and Roxas and Xion are barely two whole years old. What's the damn difference here?"

"**Language!"** was the dual-voiced cry from Roxas and Xion.

"Oh, _don't give me that now!_ I _know _you've heard me curse several times! Don't act like you're still trying to keep your innocence or anything!"

"Guys," Sora interrupted their conversation, having now landed back on the ground, "I think this guy's rearing up for something! Get ready!"

As the group of five Keyblade wielders returned to standing by each other, the Darkside slouched forward and _slammed _his hand into the floor, plumes of darkness exiting from the virtual hole he had punched. Sora held his Keyblade tighter, as did his companions, watching as the Darkside pulled an electrified, pulsating orb from the ground, standing back up and holding it out with an outstretched arm.

"What the…" Roxas breathed. "Since—Since when could they do _that?"_

"Since they became water, I guess!?" Sora yelled, gritting his teeth. _If my instincts aren't wrong—and they usually aren't—then that's bad business!_

The pulsating orb exploded, sending streaks of violet light into the sky—and soon, numerous amounts of miniature ultraviolet balls began to rain down in close clumps. The five performed a Dodge Roll away from a rather big ball coming their way, blocks and warps (okay, the last one only applied to Vanitas) helping immensely in avoiding damage whatsoever – though it wasn't a perfect strategy, as Sora found himself hit by a couple during his romp. _I wish Xehanort hadn't drained me of all my power, _he internally groaned. _I could've taken this guy out ages ago if it wasn't for that!_ He seemed to have a reoccurring problem of being reset back to his starting level, alarmingly enough – he really needed to find a way to subvert that, somehow…

"I'm suddenly glad… we only had to fight one Darkside… when we were still in the Organization," Xion was panting. "I think I would've run away much earlier… if this was all we had to face!"

"Speak for yourself!" Roxas replied, battering away at some incoming orbs. "I had to face a stronger version of this guy; this one's nothing compared to him!"

"Wait, there are more types of Darksides?" Sora asked, briefly stopping his rolling to look at him incredulously. "Seriously?"

"You sure you weren't seeing things wrong?" Ventus suggested. "Maybe you were half-asleep, or something?"

Roxas glared at his elder doppelganger, though there was no real heat in it. "Oh, that's funny, coming from _you,_ of all people! Aren't you the one who's been in a coma for over a decade?"

"You're definitely not special there, either," Vanitas drawled, leaning against the Darkside's legs (the foe didn't seem to notice him). "In the whole 'not in a coma' department, I mean. I think I'm the only one here who hasn't gone into extended sleep at least once… which is honestly kind of disturbing. You all need to stop being such narcoleptics, seriously!"

Xion looked pondering for a moment as she blocked orbs with her Keyblade. "He's got a point…" she pointed out. "We _do_ tend to fall asleep a lot… Like, a _lot_ a lot…"

"Yeah, well, I blame that on Sora," the Nobody shrugged it off.

Sora laughed a little, a familiar grin plastered on his cheeks. _Man, you know… it's nice, having all the people in my heart being so friendly. Xehanort's done a whole lot of bad to everyone, sure—but he'll never be able to get rid of our friendship, no matter how hard he and his vessel guys try._

"Hey, you guys _are_ a part of me, in a way!" he stated. (He ignored Vanitas' grumblings; _"I don't wanna be"—)_ "It's not really _that_ surprising! 'Sides, what's wrong with a good nap every now and then?" _I may be a 'lazy bum', according to Kairi—but I don't see what the problem is!_ "And speaking of which…" He pointed his Keyblade at the Darkside's face; the falling orbs had since ceased, but the Heartless was leaning back in preparation for an entirely different attack, and there was no way he was letting _that_ happen. "This guy needs to learn when it's time to _stop!"_

Light charged up at the tip of his blade, and a beam of it fired out and smacked the Darkside right between the eyes. _Gotcha! _It reeled back and stopped whatever it was doing, electing instead to stumble about, clearly stunned. _Just one last thing to do! _"Okay, everybody—we've got an opening! Let's hit him with all we've got!"

"Gotcha, Sora! He's finished!"

A nod. "Let's show 'em our strength!"

"An all-out attack? Fine by me! Bring it!"

"Hmph, you don't have to tell _me_ twice!"

Five Keyblade wielders of varying alignments of light and dark all rushed in, jumping into the air—and, at the same time, delivered a fatal slash to the water-based Darkside (in a manner reminiscent of the way his Trinity Armor was taken down, Vanitas noted). It started falling down to the ground, unable to keep itself standing any longer—and eventually, it faded back into the water whence it came. The quintet remained in their positions for a few moments longer, before finally dismissing their Keyblades and standing back upright.

"Alright!" Sora cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "We did it!"

"Woo!" Ventus stretched up and down, feeling utterly refreshed! "It's _great_ to get back into shape! We should do this again sometime!"

"How about we not?" Roxas deadpanned. "One time's enough for me."

"But you have to admit," Xion interjected, beaming brightly, "it was fun, doing it all together! Ooh, we should have a victory cry for when we do stuff like this? 'Hip hip hooray', maybe? 'All for one, one for all'?"

"How about 'screw this, let's never do this crap again'?" Vanitas snorted.

"Surprisingly enough, I'm in agreement with him."

"Don't be such a killjoy, Roxas!" Xion pouted.

"You heard her!" Sora agreed. The two were scary when they got in sync like that. "You should never take the times you spend with your friends for granted! Our friends are our power, after all!"

The Nobody looked contemplative, his eyes almost seeming to stare at something far away. "…yeah," he smiled. "I guess you're right."

A different voice—feminine-sounding; seemingly shy and reserved in nature—suddenly broke through the five's conversation. "…good day, you five."

…_huh? Who's there?_

Sora, Roxas, Xion, Ventus, and Vanitas blinked in surprise—simultaneously, as fate would have it. Sora slowly turned his head to look at the others, warily questioning, "That… didn't come from any of you four, did it?"

The recipients of the question all traded glances with each other, before answering with an equally simultaneous shrug. The five looked around the expansive realm, trying to find whoever it was who just talked to them.

"I'm over here, if that's what you need to know."

Finally, they noticed where exactly the newcomer was—though, the 'person' they found there was not who they expected to see. Instead of the body of an actual human being, a disembodied heart of sorts—formed only of white particles vaguely in the shape of a star—floated not too far away from the Heart Squad™ (as they had gotten accustomed to calling themselves). The squad stared at the star incredulously for several long seconds.

"…is there something surprising about my appearance?" she asked, in a tone reminiscent of one cocking their head in confusion.

"O-Oh, sorry!" Sora apologized, hand scratching the back of his head as he grinned sheepishly. "It's just… I've never seen anyone like you around here, before. Normally, when I come here, there's only the sky and the sea—so seeing you around here is just… really unexpected!"

"You can say that again," Xion said. "For a moment, I thought we had another heart guest roaming about that we didn't know about!"

"I'm pretty sure I would've caught her if she was hanging about our heart space," Ventus claimed, both his arms resting behind his head. "I mean, I've been in here the longest out of anyone, after all!"

"Sure you would," Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "You, the most observant, most intelligent—you, who ran after Terra without so much bothering to question my own claims about him… If your statements actually proved true, I'll eat the χ-blade."

"Hey, that was the old me!" Ven protested.

"Still applies."

The disembodied star spoke up again: "You look like a person. All five of you do. How is it that you can retain your appearance in this realm? How is it that you are even here to begin with? Are you special?"

"In this realm…?" Roxas repeated. "You mean this isn't just a normal Dive to the Heart?"

A brief gasp. "Dive… to the Heart…" she whispered. Silently, she seemed to realize something. "If you could access this world from your own hearts, then you five must truly be special Keyblade wielders." (Vanitas scrunched his nose; was that bitterness he sensed, at the end of that statement?) "There must be something in your hearts – a strong sense of purpose – that gives you the resolve you need to come here. Tell me—who are you?"

"I'm Sora!" Sora introduced himself handily. Pointing to everyone else, he continued—

"And this is Roxas—" The aforementioned Nobody waved his hand lightly.

"—Xion—" She waved _her_ hand widely and enthusiastically, saying "Hello!" as brightly as she could.

"—Ventus—" Roxas's lookalike didn't bother waving; he instead grinned and stated, "Call me Ven!"

"—and Vanitas!" The black-haired Sora clone huffed and crossed his arms, turning his head away with a 'get me away from this crowd' expression.

"And we make up the members of **Sora's Heart Squad™!**" Xion added at the end. "It's nice to meet ya!"

"What about you?" Roxas turned the conversation to their unknown partner. "What's your name?"

"…it doesn't really matter, anymore. My name, my world, my very existence… everything about who I was—who I _am—_was taken away from me. Struck down by somebody I couldn't even see. As if I wasn't important in the grand scheme of things." There was a sad and rather bitter undercurrent to her words, which only fed into Sora's growing horror. "…I've been here ever since, stuck in this realm where hearts wait to pass on. I'm… nobody, now."

"…no way…" Sora breathed. Behind him, Xion had gasped, mouth drawn to her mouth, tears threatening to drop from her eyes—and Roxas was very much disturbed by this revelation, his hands clenching up into fists, the concepts about identity visibly getting to both him and the Replica. Even Vanitas found himself unnerved, his edgy demeanor briefly dropping from his face. "Everything? Th-That can't be true. They—They can't have taken your heart, too." _Your heart should be, if nothing else, the one thing that belongs to you, and nobody else. If she doesn't have her heart on top of that…_

"…they haven't." Sora mentally breathed a sigh of relief. At least she still had that. "But only because it pines for another."

"You mean—somebody's coming for you?" Ven asked, looking almost hopeful. "That's great! …i-isn't it?"

"I… I cannot be certain. He's been changed beyond recognition, his heart replaced with another's." The gears started rotating in Sora's head. _Xehanort?_ "But… were he to regain his old self again, he would be distressed by my absence. So I choose to wait here, where he can find me."

"How will he even _know_ you're here, though?" Vanitas piped up with a question. "As far as I can tell, this… weird-ass backwards world isn't accessible to _anybody,_ much less a single person."

"…he'll find me. I—I know he will. He _has_ to." She lowered his voice. "…it's all I have left."

"If you think he will, then that's good," Sora said, wearing a soft smile. "You have to believe." Belief in his friends got him even through the worst of times. So long as she kept her own friends in her heart…

"It's… It's getting harder to do so," she admitted. "I've been here for so long, waiting for him to return one day—but… it's so lonely here. All I have are my thoughts and turmoil. I'm just… tired." Her tone seemed to shift, an air of exhaustion overtaking her. "Tired of being here, powerless to do _anything._ I was… excited when I heard that there were others here. Others who weren't like me, drifting aimlessly through this world. It's been… too long since I've had any real companionship."

("How did she know we were here, though?"

"The giant Darkside we were fighting, Ventus?"

"Oh… Th-That makes sense!"

"You say you're not the same as you used to be, and here you are still acting like it. What am I supposed to do with you…?")

"…you wanted a friend, right?" Xion realized quietly. "Someone to hold you up while you're feeling down. Someone to give you hope when you really need it the most."

The nameless star was silent for a moment, before confirming, "…yes. That's what I wanted the most. _You five_ are what I've wanted the most." If she had the power to, she'd most likely either hug herself tightly, or hug the others tightly for as long as she could. "…I don't want to let this go. But… you have something to do, don't you?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah. There's… a guy—a Keyblade Master, back in the real world—who wants to forge some χ-blade or something, and I'm trying to stop him with the help of my friends. It's gonna be a long road to getting there…" He put his hand over his heart and glanced at his four companions. "…but I know I won't be alone. So long as I've got my friends, I know I'll be alright. And…" He turned back to the nameless star, an idea sprouting on his face. "…maybe you can be a friend, too."

"…huh? What… What do you mean?"

"I mean—you could come into _my_ heart. We could look for your friend together, tell him you're still around! It's gotta be better than just waiting here, right?"

"Is—Is that even possible? I've never heard of entering someone else's heart before."

"We've got a lot of experience on that front," Roxas began to explain. "All of us here have been a part of Sora's heart for some time now: I'm his Nobody—long story, don't worry—Xion holds his memories, and he's taking care of Ven's heart while it heals. And Vanitas came as a crappy bonus gift." ("Screw you too, blondie.") "Sora's touched a lot of people in so many ways—it's why I'm proud to call him my other. And it's not like we're short on space or anything, so… we're cool."

"It'd be nice to have another girl here!" Xion grinned. "It gets kind of boring, being the only female in a room of lookalike males. We could even have ice cream together, you and me and Roxas and Axel!"

"You should really take the offer," Ventus suggested. "It's pretty comfortable in here! C'mon, it'll be fun! You'll get to see a lot of cool worlds, too—we're gonna be heading to the Olympus Coliseum, after this! You've gotta see Herc; he's got strength for days!"

Vanitas snorted a bit, but finally decided to relay his own two cents. "I think I'd go crazy if I had to wait here for an eternity and a half. Sure, this place is… 'pretty'… but there's nothing to it. Seriously, it's the blankest thing I've ever seen—and that's saying something, because _I_ used to be blank myself. What do you have to lose, honestly? You just gonna sit here 'til he dies—or are you going to try and actually _do_ something for yourself?" The corner of his lips tipped upward a little. "…besides, I have to admit: being with these guys isn't… entirely a worthless experience."

"He admits it!" Xion crowed with a joyful expression.

"Shut up. You—You never heard me say that sentimental shit, got it?"

"So, yeah!" Sora beamed. "We're willing to take you in, if you're willing. I don't mind having another friend in here! If somebody needs me to help them out—then I'll do just that, no strings attached!" He offered a hand out to her, even though she didn't have a hand to take it with. "It's okay if you're scared about this. I think everyone would be, in a situation like this. But… I think sometimes, you just have to face your fears and take a leap of faith. How about it?"

* * *

…_could this be real?_ She almost couldn't believe the opportunity being offered to her. Centuries upon centuries of waiting, her hopes and dreams slowly petering out one-by-one, a constant sadness threatening to overwhelm her—and here this boy was, a hand out and saying he'd make it all better, just for her.

For a moment, she was suspicious. What if it was a trick? Surely, something like this, which seemed too good for to be true, would come with caveats larger than a mountain? After her last run-in with a stranger, how could she be certain that this wouldn't be the person that finally diminishes her light for good?

But his eyes, his demeanor, his smile… there was a sense of genuine kindness to it, a selfless honesty that couldn't be masqueraded, even if he tried. And the people next to him… there was a bond of trust, of _friendship _between them; they didn't regret living in his heart, not one bit, even if the events that presumably brought them there likely weren't the happiest of circumstances.

And, well—she had _asked_ for a glimmer of hope, a friend for her to laugh and smile and be happy with—and no matter how frayed her ideals may have been, the girl who she once was still shone with some semblance of brightness.

…_I've been feeling sorry for myself for far too long, haven't I?_

_They're right. I can't just sit here forever. There's no harm in getting out there and taking action for myself; to find my own way, my own purpose again._

_And maybe, just maybe…_

…_I'll be able to save__** him**__._

She made up her mind, then and there.

"…okay. I'll—I'll come along." She hovered over to Sora, touching his hand in recognition—and then, all of a sudden, streams of light started to emanate from their contact, eventually graduating into a bright explosion shing between the two of them and engulfing the whole area, absolutely blinding all six of the residents currently in range.

"_Wh-Whoa, what the—!?"_

"_It's—It's too bright! Too bright!"_

"_H-Hey, l-lighten up on the… light… there… wait, that's not the right thing to say—"_

"_The light! It burns! Oh, Kingdom Hearts, it __**burns!**__ Why does this keep happening!?"_

And when it finally died down… something had changed.

Or rather, some_one_ had changed.

Sora took his arm down from where it had been blocking his eyes from the light—and gasped at the figure now in front of him. "H-Hey!" he exclaimed. "Y-You're…"

The disembodied star wasn't a star anymore; a regular, teenage girl sat in her place. Lengthy orange hair, tied up into two pigtails, fell from her head; emerald green eyes looking at her restored appearance—white dress, black ribbons, long boots—hands,_ actual hands_—with complete and utter shock. (And so were the rest of the Heart Squad™.) _"I… I have a body again…?"_ she struggled to comprehend. _"This… This __**isn't**__ a dream…?"_

It was a miracle. Nothing short of a full, impossible miracle. And for the first time in the longest forever she had ever had—a relieved smile and an endless expense of tears dropped from and onto her face. "I'm—I'm…! I'm myself! I'm myself, I'm myself, _I'm __**myself!"**_ Adrenaline pumped through her—real adrenaline; a _glorious_ feeling—and without thinking, without _hesitating,_ she dashed into Sora and hugged him and tightly as she was now able to. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, _thank you!"_

"Wh-Whoa, t-take it easy!" he yelped out—but before too long, he was returning the embrace, feeling just as happy over being able to help her. "…it's alright. You're safe now. Don't worry."

Of course, everyone else wasn't gonna let them hug it out alone. _"Group hug!"_ Xion cheered—and soon enough, she, Roxas, and Ventus had joined in the joyous moment.

Vanitas looked awkward, his eyes shifting about. "…well, that's—good for you friendship freaks, I guess. Since you're, uh, busy and all, I'm just gonna—"

Ventus promptly pulled him in. "C'mon, Van! It's a group hug! We're not gonna leave you out!"

He struggled—_"D-Don't call me Van,"_ he attempted to insist—but eventually, he just gave up and reluctantly participated. "You're lucky I don't want to kill you people anymore," he grumbled.

The group of six stayed like that for a good long while, letting the girl hug all her fears and pain and sheer _delight_ out in one big burst, because finally, _finally,_ she was real again, she was real and she was here and she had _friends again __**and it was amazing**__—_

…she felt so alive.

She let go, wiping her remaining tears away from her eyes with her hands. "S-Sorry," she said, "it's just—it's been _so long…"_

"It's okay!" Sora reassured her. "You're allowed to be happy and not feel sorry over it! That's your right as a person, and no one can tell you otherwise! Hey, since you have your body back and all… do you think you could tell us your name? I, uh, can't just keep calling you 'that star girl' in my head, after all!" He grinned sheepishly again, and all of her worries fell away like dust all over again.

She giggled, looking into his sky blue eyes with her own serene emerald ones. "I'm Strelitzia. It's—It's great to be here. I'm glad we met—and I hope we'll be good friends from here on."

"Me too. That's a promise, don't worry!"

* * *

_They can take your world._

_They can take your heart._

_Cut you loose from all you know._

_But if it's your fate…_

…_then every step forward will always be a step closer to home._

* * *

**Huh, funny. A one-shot that **_**isn't**_** tied to one of my ongoing series. Who knew I could still do that?**

_**Kingdom Hearts III**_** was my second most hyped-for game of 2018, and that hype finally paid off when the game released last month. The game, though it has numerous flaws, proved to be an absolute blast, and I absolutely loved being able to experience the end of the Dark Seeker Saga after all these years. So since I'm in the mood for it, here's a fic about Sora's Heart Squad™, because Sora is such an great big ball of sunshine and he and his crew deserve a lot of love. And more interaction. I'm a sucker for fluffy character interactions.**

**One of the most touching parts of **_**Kingdom Hearts III**_** for me was when Sora conversed with the Nameless Star, close to the end of the game. I loved how it once more showed Sora's endless optimism and compassion, for people he's barely even met. The conversation with Naminé was pretty good too (and it better have been, 'cause it's the only voiced scene she gets; **_**what the heck,**_** Square), but the Nameless Star was truly a highlight.**

**Evidence has pointed to her being Strelitzia, from **_**Kingdom Hearts Union X[cross]—**_**'they took away everything about me'; 'he would be distressed by my absence'; etc.—so for the sake of this fic, I made the two of them the same person. (And hopefully, this time, our hypothesis will turn out to be true.) She, too, deserved much better than to be killed off barely a month after her introduction… and we all know what a beacon of light Sora is for such lost souls.**

(**EDIT 2/23/2020:** Okay, so as it turns out… the Nameless Star isn't Strelitzia. Huh. How 'bout we just… assume the real Nameless Star exists elsewhere in this 'verse?)

**And as for why Vanitas is here… why not? He's a part of Ventus, after all. Plus, his interactions with the other Heart Squad™ members would be entertaining enough, so in he goes!**

**Well, that's all for now – see you guys around!**


	2. In You and I, There's a New Land

**Another Side, Another Friend**

_**Chapter 2  
**__In You and I, There's a New Land_

(Uploaded on March 2, 2019)

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**Summary:** Sora's back from his trip through the Sleeping Realm – and he's got a new friend-slash-Heart Squad™ member to share with everyone! (Kairi and Naminé aren't too surprised, really. This _is_ Sora they're talking about…)

**Notes:** This chapter is set after the opening Dive to the Heart sequence in _Kingdom Hearts III,_ but before Sora, Donald, and Goofy set off toward Olympus. In addition, Riku, Mickey, Kairi, and Lea have not left the Mysterious Tower yet.

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**The Mysterious Tower  
Sorcerer's Loft**

"_I'm backkkkkk~!"_ Sora's voice sang through the doorway.

Kairi's face immediately lit up at the sound of her best friend. "Sora!" she cried happily, delighting in seeing that familiar dumb and goofy grin hanging off his face. Her sentiments were echoed to a degree with Riku, King Mickey, and Lea, all three of them exclaiming his name in unison alongside her.

Naminé giggled. _And here's the star of the show, fashionably late as usual,_ she commented from within the princess's mind. Honestly, it felt like forever since the two of them had seen him—though that _might_ have something to do with the dire straits he had been in literally the day before. _I could watch that smile for days,_ Kairi thought.

_Are you sure you __**just**__ want to watch it?_ her Nobody asked. _I can think of a lot more things you'd like to do with those lips~_

She fought to keep a blush from forming. _Shush, Naminé, not now._

Close by and sitting at his desk, Yen Sid nodded at Sora's presence. "Ah, Sora," he greeted, eyes unblinking _(How are they so beady?)_. "You have arrived just in time. We were about to go over the details of the great battle upon us once more, before we begin our work."

Kairi walked over to the beaming Keyblade wielder and flicked him upside his head. "You need to stop taking so much time, you dummy!" she lightly reprimanded him, though her happy tones didn't completely disappear. "We've got a lot of things to do, you know! You can't be a lazy bum forever!"

"Hey, I made it here, didn't I?" he replied, hand scratching the back of his head. "Besides, I had a lot of Dream Eaters to greet! There was Meow Wow, and Kooma Panda, and Necho Cat, and—I just had to thank them for all their help! You should've seen 'em all! You and Riku!" He turned to their aforementioned friend. "I dunno which ones he ended up making – aside from Komory Bat, you can totally tell that was him – but I think they really wanted to see him too!"

Riku paused. "Wait—really? I don't know about that… I mean, we've got a lot of stuff to do, and I don't think we had _that_ strong of a connection…"

"C'mon, Riku! Don't you want a big, _big_ hug from them? That's what friends do for each other, after all!"

The newly-minted Keyblade Master was full-on blushing, now. Despite everything, he was still the same Riku they knew over two years ago. "Wh-Wha!?" It was hilarious to see, given how serious _(and edgy,_ Kairi's mind supplied) Riku was prone to being. And, of course, Kairi just had to join in with teasing their other best friend with him.

"I think you'd make a good hugger, Riku," the Princess of Heart suggested. "It'd be a great way to let off some steam; you should really give it a shot!"

He spluttered profusely, trying to come up with some sort of coherent response and failing immensely. Next to him, Mickey was lightly chuckling, and Axel—sorry, _Lea_ (It was hard to call him anything else, okay? At least he didn't seem to mind anymore)—was grinning himself. "Man," the ex-Organization member snorted, "and here I thought you were the master of being cool. Guess I shouldn't have gotten _that_ memorized, huh?"

Naminé had her own response: _He tries so hard to stay collected… it's kinda cute. He should probably stop letting his guard down like that, though…_

And then that unsettlingly Sora-not-Sora voice started drawling from the doorway, "What—don't we get any special hellos?" Popping in and following right behind Donald and Goofy were the ghostly members of Sora's Heart Squad™: Roxas, Xion, Ventus, and Vanitas; and it was the latter who was the owner of the voice. Even now, it was still super, _super_ weird to have a black-haired, yellow-eyed, incredibly snarky Sora just floating around the Destiny Islands spooking all the kids. "We're just as important as Parachute Pants McGee over here."

Kairi blinked. _…'Parachute Pants McGee'?_ _That_ was new.

_That's creative, even by Vanitas' standards,_ Naminé commented.

Well, at least there was everyone else. "Don't be rude, Vanitas!" Xion admonished her… 'friend', kinda, her hands going to her hips, a mock pout on her face. "We're the ones who barely made it here; we don't really have a right to be doing the scolding!"

"What kind of insult is 'Parachute Pants McGee', anyway?" Roxas raised an eyebrow. "Of all the insults you could've possibly chosen, you went for _that_ one?"

"Shut up. It's not like you or Ven could've come up with anything better."

"Hey!" Ven squawked indignantly. "I can _too_ come up with something better!" He put a finger each to the sides of his head, closing his eyes to think hard… and it was very, very evident that he was having a lot of trouble trying to create a suitable insult to surpass Vanitas'. It reminded Kairi a lot of when Sora was doing a math test, funnily enough. _I guess similar minds think alike._

"Ah, yes—and we mustn't forget about our other guests," Yen Sid stated. "It is good to see you too, Roxas, Xion, Ventus, Vanitas."

"That's better," Vanitas decided. "Not perfect, but it'll do."

Sora's Heart Squad™ was probably one of the weirdest things to come out of his (and Riku's, and a little bit of Kairi's) 'overseas' adventures. Kairi wasn't really surprised that he had one – this was _Sora_ they were talking about; if someone really needed it, he'd let them into his heart without a second thought – though their existence was a bit of an awkward subject on the Islands, since they had a habit of materializing their forms whenever they wanted to. (Especially Vanitas.)

Roxas was blunt and had a lot of attitude, though he lightened up around his squad; Xion was a bit shy, and there were hints of hurt in her eyes, but otherwise she was an outgoing individual; and Ventus was cheerful and brave and a fair bit naïve, a lot like Sora—actually, all four of them shared plenty of traits with Sora. No wonder they got on so well together.

And faces. Roxas and Ven had the same face; Xion had _Kairi's_ face back when the latter had been fourteen, plus Sora's sky-blue eyes; and Vanitas, as mentioned before, had Sora's face, just with the yellow eyes that came from being composed of darkness. That was just… bizarre, even more so than everything else. Naminé had muttered once, _'This feels like lazy and brilliant character design at the same time…'_

Despite how much their personalities contrasted against each other, however… she liked them well enough. _I mean, if Sora likes them, then they're not exactly bad people._ Riku and Naminé felt the same way.

…mostly the same way, in Roxas' and Riku's case. Whatever history they had, it was sure evident in the way they interacted. _You could almost mistake it for sexual tension, honestly._

…_which I probably shouldn't mention out loud. Like, ever. I'd like to think I'm better at running—but they're better, too. A lot better than me._

Xion paused for a moment, and then, she turned and waved her hand brightly at her own best friend, while nudging Roxas to do the same. "Hey, Axel!" she called. Sora's Nobody let a more easygoing smile hit his face, seemingly coming more naturally ever since he had spotted Lea in the post-Mark of Mastery chaos. Ven joined in the hello-fest, too. _Stuff like that comes pretty easy to them,_ Kairi noted.

He waved back. "Yo, Roxas, Xion, Ven!" he casually greeted. "Good to see you're all finally here. I'd hate to have to bring you guys back from wherever you went… again." There was something rather teasing in his tone, reminiscent of an old memory. "Don't wanna be stuck with _all_ the icky jobs, you see."

"Maybe you should've gone anyway," Donald piped up. "Sora's got no sense of direction! He'd get them all lost anyway without even trying!"

Kairi snorted. "I can see that happening easily," she said.

"Hey, I'm not _that_ bad!" Sora protested.

"Well," Ventus admitted, "you… kinda are."

"He definitely is," Riku added.

"I hate to agree with him," Roxas quipped, "but Sora can't find his way out of a paper bag. Trust me on that."

"There was that one time with the Olympus Coliseum…" Xion trailed off.

Even _Goofy_ jumped into the fray: "Gwarsh, they do kinda have a point, Sora…"

The spiky-haired boy slouched. "Aww, give me a break already, guys…" It was really, _really_ cute, in Kairi's opinion. And then he perked up again, realization strung all about his face. "Oh, yeah! I just remembered!" That wide and joyful smile came back, its brightness somehow practically illuminating the entire room. "There's a new friend I want you guys to meet!"

_That_ got everyone's attention. Even Yen Sid raised an eyebrow. _Of course he'd meet another friend while diving back into the Sleeping Worlds. That's just like him._

_I wonder who it could be?_ Naminé pondered. _Do you think he got Riku's Replica? He's got people that look like him and you, but he doesn't have Riku yet._

_Mmm… _Riku had told her and Sora that there had been a Replica created of him at one point, though he never bothered to go into any specifics. (Probably still a touchy subject, knowing him and Xion.) _It's possible… though something's telling me I shouldn't hedge any bets on it._

Vanitas snapped his fingers. "Right—flower girl. Can't forget about her."

"Wak!" Donald squawked. _"Another_ person joining your heart squad!?" ("You forgot the emphasis!" Xion pouted. "It's _Sora's Heart Squad™—_with a trademark, too!") "You can't just keep adding people, Sora! It's noisy enough in the Gummi Ship cockpit as it is!"

"But I couldn't just leave her alone!" the boy insisted. "She looked so lonely and in need of help—and you know I can't just ignore that!"

_(Well, that rules out Riku's Replica,_ Naminé said.)

"Same here," Roxas stated. A serious look was wrapped on his features, seemingly staring intensely at everyone in the vicinity. _(Sora couldn't pull that off if he tried.)_ "She said she was forgotten, her whole existence erased, her life made a victim through no fault of her own. That's… something Xion and I can relate to."

Lea grimaced, as did Riku—Kairi herself vividly recalled forgetting Sora for over a year, which was still pretty terrible to think about—and most of the others gave the crew a sympathetic look. "Anyway," Vanitas continued where Roxas left off, "she wasn't really doing a whole lot, floating around in the weird place we found her in—so what the hell, we took her in." He shrugged in his typical 'I-don't-care-except-I-kinda-do' manner. "She's cute, I'll give her that."

"An interesting development…" Yen Sid allowed, his eyes closing in reflection. "Truly, your heart proves to be the key that connects all, time and time again. Perhaps, this will be one more link that allows us to turn the tide of this conflict…" His opened his eyes and set his gaze once more on Sora. "Very well. Let us see your newest companion, Sora."

"All right!" Sora pumped his fist in the air. "Hey, Ven, Xion—mind if you go get her for us?"

The duo mock saluted. "Yes, sir!" they proclaimed, equal-appearance grins sprouting on their faces as they promptly went and dashed out the door in excitement. Several more seconds passed, everyone's attention drawn toward the loft's entrance in anticipation. Before too long…

"_C'mon, Strelitzia!"_ Ven's voice drifted up the stairs. _"Don't be shy!"_

"_B-But—I'm, I'm not prepared for th-this!"_ a girl's voice replied—a voice that Kairi had definitely never heard before. _"Can't we, like, h-hold off for a little while longer?"_

"_Hey, you'll be fine!"_ Xion chirped. _"Everyone's gonna love you! They're not gonna be disappointed, I promise!"_

Soon enough, the duo had returned to the room, with their new friend in tow—and her appearance was… _whoa._ Long orange hair, tied up into two pigtails with orange ribbons, streamed down from the recesses of her head, glimmering emerald eyes and petite nose and cheeks cutely adding to her already super visual appeal. A white dress with black straps slung over her shoulder seemed to flow softly through the nonexistent wind, accompanied by matching sleeves and boots. She looked lost and nervous and a little bit confused and _by golly,_ did Kairi just want to hug her and never, ever, _ever_ let go.

…_she needs to be protected,_ Naminé declared. _Protected at all costs._

_Yes. Yes she does,_ Kairi approved.

"So… you are the new guest residing in Sora's heart?" Yen Sid asked.

"Y-Yes, s-sir!" the new girl stammered. "I'm—I'm Strelitzia! It's—It's nice to meet you all!" She smiled so nervously and yet so sweetly; it was absolutely mesmerizing.

Lea whistled. "Gee, Sora," he remarked, "you really know how to pick 'em, huh?"

"It's Sora," Riku supplied, "what did you expect? He'd take in a whole world's worth of friends if they really needed it."

"That's what I like about him," Kairi said. "He'll never hesitate to help anyone, even if he's only just met them—even if they did bad things."

Inside, Naminé smiled ruefully. _…yeah. That's what makes him him,_ she agreed. _You and I—I don't think we'd have it any other way._ Another thought wandered into her mind. _…I wonder how big his heart space is._

_I wouldn't be surprised if it was the size of, say, Radiant Garden,_ Kairi internally replied.

* * *

The missions were clear: Sora, Donald, and Goofy were to venture throughout the worlds and defend them from the darkness that the 'real' Organization XIII was sure to bring; Riku and King Mickey were to search out for Terra, Aqua, and Ven's body—and maybe find a way to bring back the others resting in Sora's heart; and finally, Kairi and Lea would be joining the two groups—Kairi in the former, Lea in the latter—as a means to train up for the upcoming battle. Kairi didn't mind. It was about time that she stopped being left behind on every adventure.

_Sora and Riku aren't the only ones with a Keyblade, after all._

Though, before everybody set off on this latest and greatest adventure, there was one more thing she wanted to do. _Let's go say hello to the new girl, Naminé._

_Okay. I think I'd like that._ The girl in question—Strelitzia—was awkwardly standing off to the side in a corner—okay, in some unoccupied space in the room. Her eyes shifted back-and-forth between the different groups gathered together—be it Sora, Donald, and Goofy; or Roxas, Axel, and Xion—her face painfully saying that she wanted to join in the fun… but for one reason or another, she wasn't willing to take the first step, staying content to just… watch from the sidelines. (It seemed like she'd done that plenty of times before, depressingly enough.) _So,_ Kairi decided, _I guess I'll have to be the one to do it for her._ Because, like with Riku, sometimes you just needed to take action in order to get others to take action.

…that sounded right in her head, anyway.

Naminé materialized next to her—it wouldn't be good to startle Sora's new guest too much—and the duo afterward walked over to the transparent girl and reached out to her. "Hey there!" Kairi greeted. "You're Strelitzia, right?"

Strelitzia jolted, definitely not having expected the Princess of Heart (and her own heart guest) to come to her. "O-Oh!" she yelped. Somehow, she looked even cuter that way. "Y-Yeah—Yeah, I am. And you two are…?"

"I'm Kairi," she answered, and with a hand motioning toward Naminé, she continued, "and this is my Nobody, Naminé." She gave out a soft smile, eyes closing in happiness. "We just wanted to come over and say hi! So… hi!"

Naminé gave a small wave, and tentatively, Strelitzia returned a wave of her own. "…hi? N-Nice to meet you…?" She looked confused at something, and it didn't take long for Kairi to figure out what it was. "You, uh… You kinda look like Xion. Wh-What's up with that…?"

"It's… a long story," Naminé admitted with a light shrug. "Trust me when I say it's a lot to wrap your head around." Memories and Replicas and weird perception-related things wasn't exactly something you could just dive into at the drop of a hat—and Kingdom Hearts knows that Sora couldn't tell it, even though Strelitzia was currently residing in his heart. He didn't even remember half of the story to begin with – and he wouldn't really understand it much, even if he did.

"O-Okay… I'll—I'll take your word for it." _That's the spirit._

"So—how are you today?" Kairi asked. "Gotta ask, since—you know—you just joined Sora's Heart Squad™ and all. It's like Sora says: this boat runs on happy faces!"

"It's… alright," she answered. "Sora, Roxas, Xion, Ven, Vanitas—they're all not bad people. I've only been with them for a few hours at most… but I don't think I could've picked a better group of people to help me out." She looked down toward the floor, another sad expression on her features. "I'm… not really sure I deserve to have them, honestly…"

"Don't say that," Naminé interrupted her. Her stern tone made Strelitzia jolt again. "You shouldn't put yourself down just because you feel you don't deserve happiness. Trust me, that's… not a road that leads anywhere nice." _Oh, Naminé…_ Even now, she still harbored guilt over what she did to Sora. "Even if things aren't as perfect as they could be, there's always hope for something better."

"What she said!" Kairi chirped. "Everything's gotta start somewhere. Cheer up!" _Man,_ she giggled internally, _I sound a __**lot**__ like Sora right now! He's really rubbed off on me._ "How 'bout we talk about brighter subjects, then?" She held out her hand in front of her, and with a flash of light, her Keyblade came into her hand. Flowery and like a wave against the sunset—just the way she liked it. "Our Keyblades seem like a good place to start! Mine's **Destiny's Embrace**. What's yours?"

One thing Kairi had learned from her experience with Sora's Heart Squad™ was that they could still summon their Keyblades – though it'd be just as transparent as themselves and not very viable in combat unless they synced up with Sora. As a side note, Roxas and Xion fighting together was a terrifying force to reckon with. (That was also how she inadvertently discovered that Naminé could also wield Destiny's Embrace, but that was a story for another time.) She'd seen Oathkeeper, Oblivion, Wayward Wind, and Void Gear already; how could she not be curious to see what Strelitzia's looked like?

"Well…" the aforementioned girl trailed off. Materializing into Strelitzia's own hand was a Keyblade colored with various shades of violet and gold, elegantly decorated with star- and moon-themed ornaments and a sharp, ten-pointed star making up its teeth. It reminded Kairi a little of Sora's Kingdom Key… if the Kingdom Key was exponentially more epic and wonderful, of course. And starry. "…I've got **Starlight**. It's been my Keyblade for as long as I can remember, and I don't think anything else would suit me at this point."

Naminé looked like she wanted to whip out her sketchbook and immediately begin drawing the Keyblade out with her crayon. "Pretty…" she breathed. Kairi hadn't thought that her Nobody could sound so… starstruck. (Oh, Kingdom Hearts, that was a _terrible_ pun—)

"You… You really think so?" Strelitzia apprehensively asked. "It's… It's just a basic Keyblade, honestly. A lot of people I kno—_used_ to know had it. There's a lot better and fancier ones that I know of."

"All those other Keyblades has got to be on the appearance level of Sora's Ultima Weapon then," Kairi remarked. Starlight may have been something else, but even it couldn't match the complex design of the frequently-totted 'supreme Keyblade'. "You should be proud to have something like that as the 'base', at least. I'm getting a little jealous myself!"

The ghost girl blushed. "It's—It's no big deal," she faltered—but based on the growing smile on her face, Kairi could tell that she enjoyed the compliments. She looked back up at the two, eyes glimmering radiantly and happily. "B-But—I'm glad to see you like it!"

_AaaaaaaaAAAAAAAHH~!_ Oh, the adorableness factor was going through the _roof!_ Kairi could definitely add Strelitzia to the 'I'll protect you with everything I've got' category: which, as of currently, included **Sora** (in big bold letters and right at the very top), Riku, Naminé, Roxas, Xion, Ventus… _okay, this list might be getting a little too big to keep track._ "Oh, I think we're gonna be _great_ friends over the course of this journey!" Kairi declared. "It's gonna be a new experience for all of us: new worlds, new Keyblades, new people—and we're gonna be doing it together with our good friends!" Well, mostly good friends—Kairi didn't know Donald and Goofy all too well compared to Sora and his Heart Squad™—and also minus Riku, 'cause he had his own business—but the point still stood! _We're finally gonna be going on a big adventure, me and Sora—and I can't wait!_

_And we can't forget Strelitzia, either!_

"It'll certainly be a first, won't it?" Naminé agreed. "I've never really done any exploring myself – there wasn't a whole lot to do in Castle Oblivion or the Old Mansion, believe me – so it's gonna be exciting, in a way." _'And I get to sketch out new things,'_ she didn't say, but was so blatantly written on her face.

"…it's been a long time since I've seen anywhere new," Strelitzia admitted, "so it'd be nice to see how things have changed since I've been gone. Even if I can't be there physically… it'll be great to finally stretch my legs again." She put a hand over her chest, a look of fond remembrance touching her features. "We just have to let our hearts be our guiding key."

"Let our hearts… be our guiding key?"

"It's a… phrase everyone liked to say, back in the old days. So long as we never lose sight of the light in our hearts, then we'll always find a way to keep moving forward back to home. A-At least, that's what I always interpreted it as."

Kairi looked over to Sora, laughing heartily and without a care in the world, chatting with Donald and Goofy and looking for all the world like nothing was wrong at all. And then she remembered the lucky charm he still had, and the promise he'd always keep: to bring it back to her, no matter what. "The light in our hearts, huh…" she whispered.

_There are many worlds, but they all share the same __**sky**__—one sky, one destiny._

"…I think I've got a good idea as to what mine is."

Naminé smiled. So did she.

"That's… good to hear." Strelitzia sighed. "I wish I still had a light to look forward to—but… he's not himself anymore. He hasn't been himself in such a long time. I'm afraid that… if I ever find him again… then it'll be too late for me to save him."

"Oh?" The memory witch seemed a little curious. "Who's this someone you're speaking of?"

"…my brother," she answered quietly. "We used to be close, before I… ended up disappearing." _That's a… polite way of saying 'I was killed'. _"I know he's still here—still in this time, trying to find me—but in pursuit of that, he's entirely forgotten who he used to be. His identity entirely stolen from him… just like how my existence was stolen from the worlds." She looked out the window, to the brilliant stars and night skies beyond, as if her brother was just a world or two away. (He might've actually been, for all they knew.) "…do you think we'll be able to find him out there on our adventure?"

"We will," Kairi promised. "If he's somewhere out in the worlds, then we won't hesitate to go and get him back for you! Sora, Riku, and I never stopped looking for each other when we were separated—and we're more than willing to do the same for all our other friends! And if Xehanort's got him—then that's just one more thing we gotta do first!"

"You heard her," Naminé said. "Judging by the fact that this person was your brother, he had to have been a good guy before he 'lost himself', right? Then whatever happened to him, be it possessed by Xehanort or something else entirely… I'm sure we'll bring him back to his senses, somehow. Sora's pretty good at doing that to people, no matter who they are or what they've done. It'll be okay, trust us."

"Yeah. You're Sora's friend, so that means we're friends now," Kairi beamed. "And if your guiding key's in trouble, we'll be yours in turn." _Because there's no way we'll let anything happen to you after everything that's happened!_ She grinned, holding up her Keyblade at an angle. "So—what do you say? You ready for a great big rumble together, you and me and Naminé and everyone?"

Strelitzia looked at the Princess-and-Nobody duo, a little awed by their tenacity and firm determination. In that moment, in that place… she believed that they—and Sora, and his Heart Squad™, and all the rest—could really do what they said they could.

"…I'd be glad to have it. We'll be friends, you and me." She held up her Keyblade at an angle too, the tips of both hers and Kairi's connecting together.

"You know what they say: all for one, and one for all! Let's get this party started!"

* * *

**This chapter's title is derived from the lyrics to… oh come on, you should all know it. I don't have to tell you, do I?**

**So… surprise! Much like **_**Smile for the Sake of Everyone,**_** I'm not **_**quite**_** done with this one-shot yet! I've got, like, this chapter and another in mind which I might write sometime—and take five guesses what the latter could possibly be. (Hint: she's still pining for him.)**

**I could've had Sora's Heart Squad™ still be a secret from most of the main cast, but that's kind of boring in my eyes – so I had it be public knowledge from **_**Kingdom Hearts II**_** onward, when the crew had awakened—and Sora basically found himself unable to keep them hidden (because boy, do they like popping up anyway).**

**I'll be honest with you, I was… disappointed with Kairi's performance in **_**Kingdom Hearts III,**_** to say the least. She barely got to do anything, didn't even have **_**screentime**_** for a large majority of the game's major plot beats—and the only person who had it worse than her was Naminé, who doesn't even get to physically show up with her body until literally right before the credits roll. It only makes sense that I have these underrated and underutilized characters link up with an even more underrated character, eh?**

**This 'verse is also having her be a major party member traveling with Sora – because gosh darn it, she should've had, like, five times the amount of time with him than she actually got. Actually, make that a dozen. She shouldn't be the only one who hasn't visited any of the Disney worlds, 'cause even Riku got in on the action with **_**Dream Drop Distance—**_**and Roxas and Xion, too, in **_**358/2 Days.**_** So, yeah. That's my decision, and I'll fight you all on it.**

…**also, yes, that was another friendship speech. I should probably start trademarking those; they're like my hallmark at this point.**

**Well, that's all for now – see you guys around!**


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